i’ve meant to post, really…
but lately, i look at the computer and it’s the last place i want to be.
i want to be with these people…
…and even though we may not have blustery winds or shut-in blizzards, home feels very much a shelter these days…our calming nest.
perhaps it is the season.
as dickens put it…
happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!
~the pickwick papers, 1836
so, home it is.
with chilly temps (yes, really!), fires and gingerbread houses.
i yearn for simplicity these days…and am truly taking in what life is really all about. or, at least, my attempts at figuring it out and adopting my ever-evolving perception of it…which seems to be more prominent on my mind at the end of a year…a decade, and the beginning of a new one that holds change and yet promise and good things for us. and i keep arriving at these themes of love and simplicity and family and using all the experiences and adventures, both good and bad, to grow and learn and give.
and if i could magically wish for some unrealistic christmas wish, it would be to wake up in a log cabin, deep in some snowy woods far away…with a wood burning stove and cozy quilts and our family burrowed together for a couple weeks with nothing to distract us but perhaps some baking obligations or a board game or rocking a baby to sleep.
i’ve decided ‘terrible twos’ is a ridiculous term…there is nothing terrible about it…in fact, i am so loving this new girl she is. this conversational, animated little spirit.
she’s loving ‘school work’…
…and beginning to listen to night time stories from big girl books with no pictures…one of those bedtime rituals i’ve always looked forward to and really thought she was too little to get it until i took a shot at it last week. we bundled under the down comforter in our jammies and opened the hard cover to the delicious smell of new pages in a thick trilogy of mouse adventures…tumtum and nutmeg. and yes, there are some wordier passages and descriptions above her little two-year-old head. but i found her listening…taking it in, repeating phrases and even laughing at appropriate funny parts or dialogue that has allowed me to debut my squeaky mouse voice…a talent i’ve become quite proud of.
and so we continue each night, reopening the dog-eared page from where we left off the night before and reading until her eyes get heavy…which doesn’t take long at all.
and, although i love my picture books, i love the combination of a good story and something better than pictures…the opportunity for her to use her precious imagination.
loving our weather…our family…and the next several days of continuing traditions that will remind our littles someday of all the love our home holds for them.
happy whatever-it-is-you-celebrate. and happy days… ~k
new book spreads:
Roberta says
Merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family . . . I love that you have found what you have always wanted . . . love and miss you! Roberta
Heidi says
a new post to start my morning out right!!! the music, the words, the livin’ a a really good life… special and beautiful.
log cabin the woods with family, game, baking, and baby…i can see it and makes me miss my family.
love you:)
heidi
Malissa says
The quote by Dickens is wonderful and so fits this entry in your blog! I love the picture of Lainey making her gingerbread house with her little binky sitting next to her on the table. 🙂 Thanks for the post. You magically put the enjoyable “small things” in life in writing for all to enjoy. Merry Christmas!
p.s. I agree with your sentiments about terrible twos. I did not think they were bad at all. I have loved my daughter in every stage she has gone through. How could there be anything terrible about a curious, chubby cheeked, dimpled handed, toddler?!
Rachel says
I said the same thing about my son when he was 2….and then, he turned 3!!! My patience index had to be recalibrated ~ however, it was still a lovely time and knowing that he was just learning how to be a little person helped me have the patience to teach, nurture, laugh about it! Lainey’s got a lot of love around her and of course, she’s learning to reflect her family!! : ) as always, love the book pages. I’ll have to come back when I have more time to read them!
Anna Ruth says
Your pictures with the round edges are beautiful. The header is my favorite so far that you have had. Home is where the heart is!
Domestic Diva says
so glad all is well … and you’re busy enjoying and staying cozy! merry christmas, kelle!
dig this chick says
How beautiful and how lovely that she listens to picture-free stories! Something I also look forward to. I can’t wait to hear that squeaky mouse voice.
You know I am SO not a scrap booker and have never been into it BUT your pages are inspiring. They are beautiful. Congrats on that.
Home is great, no? No matter the color of the grass outside.
bee says
merry christmas! love you lots and missing you!
~dorothy
Anonymous says
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